


i forget where we were

by wolfchester



Series: for you i have so many words [1]
Category: Friday Night Lights
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Heart-to-Heart, Romance, tim stops being a jackass, together they could rule the world, tyra is sassy and amazing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-04
Updated: 2014-10-04
Packaged: 2018-02-19 19:21:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2399921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfchester/pseuds/wolfchester
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tyra and Tim ditch their high school prom and help each other get back on their feet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	i forget where we were

**Author's Note:**

> this has no continuity with the tv show but i really wanted to write this.
> 
> (i kind of got a bit out of hand and created a whole series about these two, so bare with me.)

* * *

 

  _Don't take it so seriously, no_

_Only time is ours_

_The rest? We'll just wait and see_

 

_Hello love, my invincible friend_

_Hello love, the thistle and the burr_

_For you I have so many words_

_But I forget where we were_

_Maybe this is peace at last_

_Who knew?_  

 

* * *

 

She’s sitting there on her back porch, nursing a can of beer. It’s a little too warm outside and the liquid slides sticky down her throat. It’s not much, but it takes the edge off of things. Keeps her from thinking about school and the college her mama says she’s never going to get into, the dreams she’s never going to achieve.

The sun is hot and the air is heavy. Sweat sticks to the back of Tyra’s neck and clusters on her upper lip so often she is constantly wiping it away. If only there was an ocean near Dillon, Texas, because if there was that’s where this blonde-haired girl would be right now. Another reason for Tyra Collette to leave this stinkin’ town.

She’s about to go back inside when a familiar-looking truck pulls up and nobody other than Tim Riggins steps out of it. 

“Riggins,” she says. “What the _hell_ are you doing here.” 

It’s not a question, it’s more of a statement, and Tyra’s face sets into a hostile frown as the massive frame of the younger Riggins brother comes ambling towards her. 

“Hello to you, too, Tyra,” Tim smirks, and Tyra almost smiles at that familiar expression before stopping herself. _Don’t fall for it, girl,_ she thinks, _you’re too good for that._

Tyra sighs. “What do you want, Tim?” 

He gestures to the porch step next to her and she nods that he can sit down, so he does. “Just came round to see how you’re doin’,” he grins. “Haven’t seen you in a while.” 

Tyra rolls her eyes and takes another swig of her warm beer. “Yeah, well, I wonder why? Now why are you really here, Tim?” Before the boy can open his mouth to reply, Tyra does it for him. “Let me guess. Girl you’ve been sleeping with dumped you ‘cause you’re half her age? Now you’re coming back to the ex-girlfriend for a quick and easy screw? Because I’m telling you, Riggins, that ain’t happening.” 

Surprise briefly flickers across Tim’s face before he gathers himself and replies: “You knew about that?” 

Tyra shrugs and takes another sip. “Small town, Riggins, in case you haven’t noticed.”

Tim chuckles. “Yeah, I suppose so. And no, Tyra, I’m not here for sex. I actually wanted to hang out with you.” 

“‘Hang out with me?’” Tyra repeats, a quizzical frown on her face. 

“Yeah. As friends, or whatever.”

“‘As friends.’” 

“Yeah, Tyra. Goddamnit, girl, you gotta repeat everything I say?”

“Shut up, Tim.” 

They sit in silence for a while. Tyra tries to make her beer last as long as possible because part of her really doesn’t want to talk to this kid. Another part of her is grateful for the quiet company. 

Tim’s picking the petals off a daisy when Tyra finally crushes up her can and lobs it into the nearest bush. She stands up, brushes the dust off of her ass, and turns towards Tim with hands on her hips. 

“Alright, Riggins, what are you doing?”

“What do you mean, ‘what am I doing?’, Tyra. I’m sittin’ on your porch is what I’m doin’.” 

“Don’t give me sass, Tim. I mean why do you want to hang out with me? More importantly, why would you think _I_ wanted to hang out with _you_? We haven’t exactly been on such good terms lately.”

Tim looks sheepishly down at his feet and scuffs the gravel with the tip of his shoe. “I know. And I’m sorry. It’s just-” he looks up at her, squinting in the sun. “We always...understood each other, Tyra. We always, I don’t know, just seemed to get each other. I don’t- I don’t have anybody around like that anymore. I miss that.” He clears his throat and drags a hand through his hair. “I miss you.” 

Tyra chews her bottom lip and looks down at the dirt, brushing off a ladybug that had landed on her leg. “Yeah, well, it’s not like you’ve been dying to see me recently.” She looks back up at the boy on her porch step. “You know, since you’ve been so busy screwing Lyla Garrity.”

Tim stands up and tries to walk towards her, hands raised in a defensive pose. “Tyra, I promise you, that’s over now. That’s completely over. Her and Jay, they’re engaged, and it’s finished. I swear.” 

Tyra doesn’t respond, just stares at him with a glare that could melt ice, arms crossed and pretty mouth set in a frown. 

“Tyra, I know, I was an idiot and I’m sorry and I’ll be sorry for the rest of my life and-” he sighs and puts his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “Can we be friends, Collette? Please?” 

It feels like an eternity that they’re standing there in the sun, Tim trying to avoid Tyra’s piercing gaze. Then the words come out all at once, like some sort of shitty waterfall, and Tyra can’t stop them because they’ve been bottled up inside of her for so long.

“You know, Tim, being a friend to someone means that you’re _there_ for them. It means that you actually _care_ about them. You make an effort to spend time with them, make sure they’re okay, make sure they’re happy. And they do the same for you. But you, Tim? All you’ve done for me the past year is cause me a hell of a lot of problems. And you keep coming back asking for shit like second chances, new beginnings, but you know what, Tim? I’m not going to let you screw me over like that anymore.”

She stops to take one deep breath and look the boy straight in those brown doe eyes of his. Tim looks shocked, but like, he _wasn’t_ expecting this? He’s known Tyra for a long time, dated her on and off for what feels like even longer. It was always like he was dating a volcano, never sure when she was about to blow. And, oh boy, this girl sure is made of fire.

“I know, Tyra,” Tim says, taking a step towards her. “I’ve been a horrible excuse for a person and I’ve treated you like dog shit and I’m sorry for that. I really am.” 

She stands there holding back tears, eyebrows raised, waiting for the ‘but’ that always comes. 

Tim notices, shakes his head, and smiles. “No ‘but’s, Tyra.” 

“No ‘but’s? Really?” 

“No more ‘but’s,” Tim grins, taking another step towards the girl until he’s right in her space. And she kinda likes it. 

“God, Tim, say ‘but’ one more time and I’m gonna slap you,” Tyra says, trying to sound serious but letting out a giggle in the process. She thumps him once in the shoulder and rolls her eyes. “You’re insufferable, Riggins,” she chuckles, and steps away from him, making her way to the front door. 

Tim watches her walk away from him with a rare smile on his face (and yeah, so what if he’s checking out her ass?). Before she manages to disappear inside the little house, Tim calls out: “Will you go to prom with me?”

Tyra stalls, her body half inside the doorway, and slowly turns around. “Prom? Really, Riggins?” 

He shifts his body weight across to his left foot and scratches behind his ear. He almost looks embarrassed, and Tyra smiles. He really has changed. “Yeah, well, I wasn’t going to go, but I thought...I don’t know. It’s stupid. Don’t worry about it. I’ll see you at school.” Tim opens the door to his truck and is about to climb inside when she replies. 

“It’s next week, right?” 

Tim smiles. “Yeah. I think so.” 

“As friends?”

“As friends.” 

“Okay. Pick me up at 8.” 

“Will do.” 

Tim finally slides into the front seat of his truck and turns the key, hears the familiar sound of his baby roaring to life. Tyra’s still standing at the doorway when Tim pulls out of her driveway, looking at him with an endearing yet puzzled look on her face.

“Make sure you wear something pretty!” Tim yells out the window. 

The last thing he sees before he drives away is Tyra Collette flipping him the bird through his rear vision mirror.

 

 

One week later, and Tim picks Tyra up from her place at twenty-five minutes past 8 o’clock.

He knocks on her front door and when it's opened, he loses his ability to speak for a moment. She looks...she looks...well, she looks damn right _gorgeous_. He's seen this girl naked many times (and damn it if _that_ isn’t a sight for sore eyes), but in that moment Tim Riggins thinks he's never seen her look so very beautiful.

She's wearing this tight black dress with little straps that stops just above her knee. Her hair has been curled and pinned behind her head making her look like some sort of princess. She looks up at Tim with raised eyebrows and lips in a slight pout 

"You're late." 

Tim runs a hand through his hair and sighs. "I know, I'm sorry, there was traffic and I tried to get here as fast as I could-" 

Tyra rolls her eyes and pushes past him with a grin on her pretty face. "It's okay, Riggins, I'm just messin' with you. God, it's fun to see you all riled up like this." 

"Like what?" Tim asks as he helps her into his truck. (It's a little hard to manage with the high heels she's wearing.) 

"Like you're a teenage boy with his first girlfriend. You've seen me naked, Timmy, there's no need to be nervous." 

Tim smirks and settles into the drivers seat. "Mmmm, yes, multiple times." She smacks him on the arm. "Hey!"

"Watch yourself, kid."

"You brought it up!" 

"Let's get outta here, Tim. We got a high school prom to get to."

 

 

Prom is everything Tyra Collette expected and more. The fake tans, the alcohol smuggled through the doors in suit pockets, the teenage girls dressed in overpriced outfits dancing sluttily on the dance floor. It’s disgusting and totally consumeristic and she hates it, but - well, it’s kind of fun when she’s with Tim.

They try dancing for a little bit, but it doesn't take long for Tyra to realise Tim's got two left feet. They settle for sitting on the side, laughing at the awkward couples still on the dance floor, and drinking most-likely-spiked punch. 

After a while, the hype dies down and slower songs start playing, songs about love and romance that frankly make Tyra a little uncomfortable. She watches Tim run his finger around the edge of his glass a few times before speaking up. 

"Hey, Riggins- you wanna get out of here?" 

Tim looks up at her through his hair and grins. "There's my girl. I'd thought you'd never ask." 

Tyra laughs and begins to stand up, making sure her damned dress doesn't bunch around the knees. "I ain’t your girl, Riggins. Now, come on!" 

They made a funny sight exiting the school that night, Tyra holding on to a laughing Tim's hand and practically dragging him out of the auditorium, high heels clacking on the pavement. 

As soon as they're both inside Tim's truck, Tyra kicks off her heels, takes the pins out of her curls, and shrugs off her cardigan. Tim watches her with amusement as he starts the engine and backs out of the parking lot. 

“Where are we headed?” Tim asks the girl sitting next to him, who’s at this current moment reapplying her lip gloss in the dashboard mirror. 

“I don’t know. Somewhere that’s not here. New York, maybe. London, if we’re lucky. We’d need a bit of cash for plane tickets, though. I’ve heard from a few sources that apparently you can’t drive over the Atlantic Ocean.” 

She’s being sarcastic and he loves it. He loves the familiarity of it. He wants to say “There’s my girl” again, but fears she’s slap him if he does.

“Sounds like fun, Tyra. If only.” 

“Yeah,” she sighs, putting her gloss away and sitting back down in her seat. “If only.” 

They drive in silence for a while until Tim passes a convenience store and Tyra tells him to stop. “Because food, Tim. We haven’t even had dinner yet.” 

Tyra returns to Tim’s car approximately five minutes later carrying an armful of junk food. She empties the contents onto the passenger seat and grins. Tim counts at least two packets of Kit Kats, a bag of Cheese Puffs, a box of donuts, and a six-pack of Coca-Cola cans. 

“And yes, Tim, I _am_ going to eat all this,” Tyra says, hands on hips and laughter in her eyes.

“I didn’t doubt for a second you wouldn’t,” Tim replies with a grin. “No booze?” 

“Not tonight, Riggins. We’re gonna have ourselves a wholesome night of sober goodness.” 

“Well, shit, Collette, doesn't  _that_ sound like a whole lotta fun?” Tim chuckles as he pulls back onto the main road. 

“I’ll show you just how fun it can be.” 

 

 

Tim parks his truck next to the cliff where he used to practice his golf, hitting empty beer cans off a makeshift tee into the abyss. 

Tyra rolls her eyes at Tim when he pulls over. “Honestly, Tim? We don’t exactly have good memories here.” 

“Maybe not _recent_ ones, but we sure did have _some_ ,” Tim smirks. “Remember freshman year? This was the place where we-” 

“Okay, okay, you know what? Screw it.” Tim laughs at her accidental innuendo and she hits him in the shoulder as a response. “So, what? You brought me back here to get into my pants? Like the ‘good old days’? ‘Cause I’m telling you, Riggins, that ain’t happening. There will be _no_ sex tonight. Now pass me a can.” 

Tim laughs at this spitfire of a girl and does exactly what she tells him to.

 

 

They talk for what seems like, and probably is, _hours_. They talk about insignificant things, like remembering preschool friendships and weird sleeping habits. And they talk about big things, like _where to from here?_  

They’re both laid down in the bed of Tim’s truck, blankets wrapped around them both, cardigans and jackets used as pillows for their heads. Neither of them are touching each other. (Tyra kind of fears that if she lets herself touch Tim Riggins, all of her self-control with leave her. And that’s not happening, okay? Not tonight.) Tyra’s lying flat on her back, arms behind her head, staring up at the stars. Tim’s propped up on one arm facing Tyra, a can of Coke in the other. But he’s not looking at the stars. He’s looking at _her_.

Tyra’s in the middle of talking about their breakup earlier that past year, trying to verbalise what went wrong. Tim’s not exactly sure himself, so he just keeps quiet, lets the girl talk. He figured out a while ago that was the best thing to do with Tyra Collette. 

"I was in love with you, you know," Tyra says flippantly, like it's not some big deal. 

"Yeah, I know," Tim replies, taking a swig of his Coke. 

It's silent for a while and the air is thick with hesitation. It's like Tyra wants him to say something, but Tim's not really sure what that's supposed to be. 

"I don't think I knew what love was back then." He says 'back then' like it was a lifetime ago and not a mere year or so. "Didn't even know how to treat a girl properly." 

"You still don't," Tyra smirks. 

"Yeah, well, you're here, aren't you?"

Tyra closes her eyes and laughs. "Yeah, I guess so, Riggins." 

It’s getting colder now that it’s hit past 12 o’clock, and Tyra snuggles deeper into the blanket she and Tim have wrapped around them.

“You know, Tim, I always thought that I could...that I could somehow _fix_ you. That I could take away your pain, and that in some twisted way you could take away mine. I realised after that whole thing with Garrity that I never really did. You were just the same old Tim Riggins: beer, football, girls, ‘Texas Forever’ and all that shit.” She looks over at the boy sitting next to her, slumped against the back window of his truck, and smiles. “But I couldn’t fix you. You don’t _need_ fixing, Tim Riggins. You need loving.”

In the darkness that surrounds the two of them, Tim smiles. “You tryin’ to tell me that you’re still in love with me or somethin’?” 

Tyra rolls her eyes and punches the boy in his shoulder. “Tim. Seriously.” 

Tim laughs slightly and looks over at Tyra while he takes another sip of his drink. “I hear you, Collette. I just- I like the way I am.” 

“You like the constant hangovers, the possible STDs, the gossip, the being kicked off of football teams because you turned up drunk to practice-” 

“Alright, alright, I get it. Maybe I’m not a good person, but this is all I got, you know? ‘Texas Forever’ and all that shit.” 

Tyra turns her head to face Tim and smiles slowly. “You ever think about getting out of Dillon, Riggins?”

“What do you mean, ‘getting out’?” 

Tyra tilts her head to the sky and smiles wide. “I mean, travelling to different places, meeting new people, doing interesting things-” Her gaze comes back to rest on Tim’s. “You know there’s a life outside of football, Tim. Outside of Dillon, Texas, ‘Home of the Panthers’. There’s _culture_ and, and _people_ and _experiences_ just waiting and- don’t you have dreams, Tim?” 

Tim smiles. “You know I do, Tyra. Gonna buy myself a big ranch in the back of nowhere. Raise some cattle, drink some beer, settle down…” he shrugs. “What about you?” 

“Me?” Tyra pops another Kit Kat into her mouth and chews before answering. “I’m going to see the White House in Washington. I’m going to kiss someone at the top of the Eiffel Tower. I’m going to swim with dolphins in Hawaii. I’m going to fly over oceans and meet famous movie stars. And I'm going to be the first Collette woman to get a real-life college degree." 

Tim looks down at his half-empty Coke can and smiles. "Sounds great, Collette. I'll be waiting for you when you get back." 

"On your ranch?" 

"On my ranch." 

"Looks like we got ourselves a plan, Riggins." 

Tim grins wide and looks over at this wild beauty of a girl. Watches her eyes as they search the heavens for a shooting star upon which to make her wishes on. Sees the wind rustle through her short blonde hair, blowing strands across her pretty face. He wants to kiss her, wants to kiss her so badly. Wants to kiss her upturned nose, along her jawline, the sweet spot behind her ear. Wants to place his fingers over her chest and feel the steady _thump thump_ of her beating heart. 

Tyra notices Tim staring at her like he used to, with that frustrating smile, peering down at her from behind thick lashes and messy hair. She knows he wants to kiss her, and she's not too sure how she should feel about that. Then he reaches his free hand out to brush away stray hairs from her face, and his hand lingers on her cheek a little too long, and she can feel the callouses on the pads of his fingers and wonders what they'd feel like tangled in her hair. She then remembers she _knows_ how that feels, and it makes her want him even more. 

His face is close to hers now, close enough to be uncomfortable, and Tyra can see those familiar flecks of gold in his eyes, see that familiar smirk on his face. The only thing missing is the smell of alcohol on his breath - something Tyra is glad is absent from this moment. (It's been a long time coming.)

"Tyra, I just want you to know-" 

"Just kiss me already, Riggins." Tyra grins wickedly and closes the gap between their lips. 

It's not like all the other times. They're not sixteen and wild anymore. They're eighteen and on the verge of adulthood and they sure as hell don't have all their shit together but they're trying. 

They're slow and almost _awkward_ in the initial kiss, like they're teenagers on their very first date. But this isn't their first rodeo, and it probably won't be the last, knowing them. Tim's tongue slips into her mouth and Tyra let's out a tiny sigh of relief, of _finally_ , _finally_. She can feel Tim smiling through the kiss and it awakens butterflies in the pits of her stomach that she was sure had been dead for a long time. Her fingers trail down the sides of his arms and she can feel him shiver (whether it’s because of her touch, or the cool night air she’s not sure). 

"So much for friends, huh?" Tyra whispers as Tim's hands come up to cradle her face and direct her mouth more solidly on his. 

"Friends forever, Collette," he says into her lips.

 

 

Tyra Collette wakes up the next morning in the back of Tim Riggins' truck like she has so many times before. Except this time is different. Because this time she doesn't have a hangover, her clothes are still on, and Tim Riggins is still sleeping soundly beside her. 

The blanket they had wrapped around them had gotten itself tangled in his legs during the night. His hair is ruffled (as per usual, really) and there are a few strands stuck in his open mouth. The dinner jacket he was wearing last night is being used as a pillow, while the white shirt he wears underneath is half unbuttoned and wrinkled as hell. 

Tim Riggins looks a mess. But he's a beautiful mess. And he's on his way to getting better, Tyra can feel it. 

"Hey there, Sleeping Beauty," Tyra whispers as Tim starts to wake up. 

He blinks furiously against the faded sunlight, his gaze finally coming to rest on Tyra's grin. "Hey, Collette," he says, voice croaky. 

"How does it feel to wake up without a hangover?" Tyra says, half-jokingly.

Tim slowly sits up, running a hand through his hair. "Weird. Don’t like it much. I’ll probably have to catch up on the drinking later tonight,” he winks. 

Tyra rolls her eyes. “You haven’t changed one bit, Tim Riggins.” 

Tim doesn’t reply, just watches her lazily as she rakes her messy hair into a ponytail and wipes the sleep out of her eyes. “Come ‘ere,” he says finally, outstretching his arms. 

“Tim…” 

“Tyra. Don’t think. Just come here.”

Tyra sighs and smiles, semi-reluctantly crawling over and lying down in his embrace. He lets her snuggle against his chest and rests his chin on the top of her head. She can feel the rise and fall of his breath, hear the beating of his heart. This is good, this is great, this is _home_. 

And Tyra realises something in that moment, when Tim kisses the crown of her head and she smiles at the touch. She realises that yeah, maybe ‘Texas Forever’ isn’t for her, maybe Dillon isn’t her home. Maybe she’ll go out into the world and experience everything and have a whole new life. But she’ll never forget about Tim Riggins. 

Because this, being right here in Tim’s arms without a care in the world, _this_ is home. Always will be, no matter what happens.

 

**end**

**Author's Note:**

> lyrics at the beginning are from "i forget where we were" by ben howard


End file.
